Seahawks punter Jon Ryan didn't even realize he had added protection on the field.

"Honestly, I wasn't even aware of that rule," Ryan told SI.com. "I always kind of thought that once you got down there (on a return), you were fair game."

Ryan doesn't consider himself "defenseless."

"Well, I don't think you should just punt the ball and walk off the field," he said. "You're still a football player. I'm not trying to say that it was a clean hit by any means, but once a punter goes down there, he's fair game."

Garvin was fined $25,000 for his block of Huber. The penalty certainly was warranted, but the hit and subsequent league reaction reinforced the stigma that punters aren't real football players. They can't win.